Pfannenberg worked with a bakery end user to develop a cooling solution for their control cabinets. Most of the OEM equipment installed in the bakery called for air conditioners to cool the drives. PLCs and additional electronics. Most times Cooling units can be a convenient and effective method for cooling electronics, except when located in dusty, humid areas within the plant.

These AC units failed regularly and had to be replaced. This was not a sustainable solution as the customer had constant issues with clogging coils and overheating panels.

Once a panel overheated they had to either: not operate the machine, or operate the cabinets with the doors open. This would let all the contaminants that were hurting the AC units into the cabinet, damaging the drives and other components.

An end user turned to Pfannenberg for assistance with managing their enclosure temperatures in a particularly harsh environment. The company produces high-quality construction and installation materials from wood fiber.

Customer Requirement

The customer current system was facing system failures and downtime due to severe soiling from wood dust and rust particles from diesel-powered fork lift trucks and heavy equipment. The current thermal management solution used conventional point-of-entry filters and top-mounted filterfans. The current cabinet system had to be completely changed as it needed to be reliable despite severe air contamination from wood dust and exhaust gas, plus provide energy savings and service friendliness.

The Pfannenberg Solution

As a first step, all the switch cabinets were wet cleaned, both inside and outside. To rule out any repeat soiling, the top-mounted fan combination was replaced by partially recessed cooling units: DTI 6301 Model.

Special features of the cooling units are:

Uniquely high energy-efficiency rating (EER)

Significant energy savings/operating costs reduction

Condenser with wide fin spacing for highly effective protection against contaminated ambient air

New service interface for easy retrieval of parameter settings/history (Pfannenberg Plant software necessary)

Optional filter can be retrofitted in a few seconds

Energy-savings mode in the Multi Controller integrated as standard

Customer Benefits

Use of the new DTI 6301 cooling units led to reliable system operation and to the highest possible amount of machine up time. The environmental and cost balance sheets demonstrated considerable reductions with regards to energy costs and CO2 emissions, as well as reduced service requirements and repair times.

When it comes down to the final decision on whether or not to purchase new equipment for a plant, the decision tends to fall down to three major concerns:

What preventative yearly/monthly/weekly/daily maintenance is required?

Is it able to withstand the environment?

How much time and money will it save?

For OEMS to be competitve and meet the needs of their end use customers, there are 3 main areas that are looked at when choosing the supporting components for their equipment.

Components that are Built to Last

For more than 60 years, we have been helping guarantee production safety for OEMs and end users throughout the world. Sensitive control technology needs to be protected from many environmental conditions. With NEMA Type 4/4X, IP 56 protection, our cooling units satisfy the toughest environments.

Support and Accessibility

Pfannenberg innovation has made it one of the largest globally operating manufacturers of thermal management and process cooling equipment today. Our wide product range includes complete system solutions for machine and enclosure cooling along with visual and audible signaling devicesfor events that require alarm, warning or indication notifications.

Support… when and where it’s needed – In addition to manufacturing facilities location on three continents, Pfannenberg has developed a worldwide network of local subsidiaries and sales/service partners eager to meet your service needs and help you select the correct solution.

If maintenance of your enclosure cooling system is required you can expect immediate assistance from Pfannenberg. Our repair service affords you the fastest possible response – nationally or internationally. We ensure that your cooling system is returned to optimal condition – even if it’s not a Pfannenberg product. Our on-site service gets you back on-line faster, eliminating the transit time associated with factory repair programs.

Experts in Industry Group Solutions

As a leading thermal management solutions
company, we can develop products quicker than the competition while optimizing the solution for that specific industry group’s requirements. The high performance of our products comes from years of research and design experience. Trust us to be the experts in your industry to provide you with the proper cooling solution.

Have a question regarding which equipment is best for your application? Ask Us Here.

With manufacturing space at minimum, machine packages have become smaller and liquid cooling has emerged as the most efficient and economical means of removing process heat. Chillers often are the only method of providing sustainable efficiency & reliability performances in “hostile” environments.

A chiller uses a refrigeration cycle to remove the collected heat from a circulating liquid. As the liquid moves through a system of tubes and pipes, it absorbs the heat generated by equipment and processes. This generated heat is then transferred by the liquid back to the chiller where it is dissipated. Fluid is cooled and sent back into the system.

But even if you determined that Liquid Cooling is the right solution for your environment, how do you know which heat transfer fluid you should use?

Liquids Used to Cool Your Processes

Pfannenberg process chillers offer different types of liquids to cool your processes as Water/Glycol mix, Water, and Specific Oils. Pfannenberg always recommend to use the water/glycol mixture as it’s the best way to “Protect Man, Machine and the Environment”.

1/ Glycol-Water Mixture

It is recommended to use a Water-Glycol
mix when freeze protection is needed, for example if the chiller is placed outdoors.

Ethylene & Propylene Glycol coolants, with proper corrosion inhibitors are available with Pfannenberg’s Packaged Chillers – both full strength and pre-mixed.

We typically recommend the use of Propylene rather than Ethylene Glycol, even though Propylene has less heat transfer capability, as it is more environmentally friendly and much safer to use.

Using Glycol for indoor applications is also recommended as it deters scale and corrosion in the system and provide some lubrication to the chiller pump while protecting metals. Outdoor applications need more Glycol depending on the maximum low ambient the chiller may see. The addition of Glycol does bring capacity of the chiller down slightly.

The Glycol to Water ratio is different depending on the customer’s coolant temperature needs as well as ambient temperatures being indoor or outdoor applications.

2/ Water

Depending on your installation, water cooling can be a good alternative as it is an economical and energy efficient solution. Water can be used from a local source (city water), but it is recommended to make sure that the water used is not high in mineral content which can cause corrosion or clog fluid channels. To avoid damaging the components, filtration is always encouraged.

Other types of acceptable water are: Reverse Osmosis Water (RO) and Dionized Water (DI)

RO Water is a purified water where 90-99% of most contaminants are removed but not all ionically disolved substances.

DI Water is water that is passed through a DI reaction chamber and has all its ions removed so all the impurities, salts or minerals that can cause corrosion are extracted.

Deionized water can sometimes be requested by customers, but it can still be damaging to certain materials and cause corrosion due to its high purity level. Indeed, due to the lack of ions, the water wants to attract ions from everything it touches. DI systems therefore require acid and caustic for regenerations and a neutralization system – which uses harsh chemicals – for the wastewater.

If highly pure water is not mandatory, RO water is a better option as the filtering process is not as defined as DI water.

In all cases, it is always recommended to contact a water treatment specialist for supervising or performing the installation and operation of water purification equipment.

3/ Oil

Cooling with oil is dedicated to very specific applications in which the process liquid is an oil or an emulsion with a high viscosity. Pfannenberg’s EB Chillers allow the maximum cooling capacity in the smallest possible footprint.

These chillers are designed to handle the oil entering the evaporator at higher temperatures than in typical processes. This solution is mainly used for recirculated cooling of machinery, hydraulics, automation components, etc.

Properly selected equipment is key to cooling efficiency

Whatever your industry, selecting the best packaged chillers to meet the demanding requirements of your industrial applications can be complicated. For that reason, Pfannenberg designed a 6 step guide to help you select the best chiller depending on your environment, process and type of application.

/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/water_splash.jpg479600Sue Kuhn/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/logo_retina1.pngSue Kuhn2016-09-23 10:51:092017-11-07 20:24:46Understanding the Different Types of Liquids Used in Chillers for Cooling Processes

Preventing enclosure overheating in the summer can be a challenge for many factories, where temperatures can rise fast during hot days! The high summer temperatures are often the cause of overheating of electrical components located inside the enclosures reducing their lifespan, while also contributing to downtime and repairs.

When this happens, the user often makes the same mistake: open the door panel (and sometimes use a fan) to remove heat and cool the components.

In doing so, they allow dust, oils and surrounding debris to get inside the cabinet risking the damaging of sensitive electronic components.

To ensure that sensitive electronics maintain their rated life expectancy and that they function reliably, proper regulation of the enclosure climate is necessary.

Determine the Proper Enclosure Thermal Management

Electronics are typically most efficient in an environment where the humidity is low and the temperature is approximately 95°F. As the temperature in an enclosure rises it can have a lasting effect on the electronics. Tests have shown that an increase in temperature of as little as 18°F shortens the life expectancy of electrical components by more than 50%.

Enclosure Climate control prevents critical temperature fluctuations, avoids overheating and protects against the formation of condensate. It is essentially the backbone of your entire production process, prolonging the life of your electronics and protecting your investment.

To choose the best Thermal Management Solution you first need to understand your environment. Indeed, the environment in the electrical enclosure can be affected by weather conditions, solar radiation or other external temperature sources.

As an example, An Air to Water Heat Exchanger will be adapted to an enclosure placed in a factory that faces hot weather spikes or an extremely dirt or caustic environment compared to traditional industrial air conditioners.

Electronics sensitive to electromagnetic interference may need a shielded EMC Filterfan®. An enclosure located outdoors or in a humid environment may require hygrostats or thermostats and heaters to eliminate the formation of condensate, leading to corrosion and short circuiting.

Pfannenberg Sizing Software (PSS)

To determine the proper thermal management solution, Pfannenberg Engineers developed a powerful web-based Sizing Software to help you configure Filterfans™, cooling units, air/water heat exchangers, and heaters for electrical enclosures. The easy to use interface, works for both indoor and outdoor applications and helps you calculate the heat dissipation in a cabinet, component by component.

Liquid Cooling Solutions like Air to Water Heat Exchangers or Chillers are especially well adapted to hot, dirty environments, where it provides a method of removing the heat from the machine and not contributing additional heat back into the environment.

1. Air to Water Heat Exchangers

Pfannenberg Air to Water Heat Exchangers use a supplied water source to remove the heat from the electrical cabinet. The heat from the enclosure is transferred to fluid and the heated fluid is then piped away adding no heat to the ambient environment. Because there is no heat transfer to the ambient environment, there is no need to de-rate the units performance in high ambient conditions.

How do I know if a Air to Water Heat Exchanger is the right product for my application?

If there is a chilled water supply readily available at the enclosure.

If the environment has extreme conditions like extremely high ambients, extremely dirty or caustic, that make other systems not applicable.

Properly sizing a Air to Water Heat Exchanger

To properly size an Air to Water Heat Exchanger you must know the required cooling capacity in Watts, available water temperature and the dimensions of the unit and enclosure.

Utilizing performance curves to properly size cooling units:

Pfannenberg utilizes the DIN standard 35/35 °C when rating our cooling units. Many other companies use 50/50 °C, which provides a higher, non-usable value. Customers should use their own application temperatures to determine the proper cooling capacity of the system.

Important information when utilizing Air to Water Heat Exchangers for enclosure cooling:

The performance of an Air to water Heat Exchanger is directly related to the difference in the water temperature and the air temperature inside the enclosure.

To manage condensation, an external condensation evaporator (KVDTX) can be used.

The enclosure should be sealed to prevent the inflow of ambient air.

Use the door contact switch to impede operation with open doors and consequent excessive accumulation of condensation.

Setting the temperature to the lowest setting is not the optimal solution due to the condensation issues. The value we have preset on the cooling unit is a sound compromise between cooling the inside of the enclosure and the accumulation of condensation.

Make sure unit is level.

2. Chillers

A chiller uses a refrigeration cycle to remove the collected heat from a circulating liquid. As the liquid moves through a system of tubes and pipes it absorbs the heat generated by equipment and processes. This generated heat is then transferred by the liquid back to the chiller where it is dissipated. Fluid is cooled and sent back into the system.

When precise temperature control is required as part of the manufacturing process.

Large fluctuations in heat load requirements need to be managed.

It allows the source of cooling to be located separately from harsh environments.

Selecting the correct Pfannenberg Chiller

Choosing the best packaged chiller to meet the demanding requirements of today’s industrial applications can be complicated. For that reason, Pfannenberg designed a 6 step guide to help you select the best chiller depending on your environment, process and type of application. Click on the picture to open the PDF or use this link!

Important information when utilizing Chillers:

Chillers can be installed indoors if the area around the unit is relatively clean and the air is temperate.

Locating the chiller outside can be a good option and can improve the efficiency of the chiller depending on temperature.

Extreme temperatures can cause capacity issues or the need for additional options such as a low ambient package.

A chiller should be sized as close to the required capacity based on the desired chilled liquid supply temperature and the highest expected ambient temperature.

3. Combined Chillers and Air to Water Heat Exchangers

When a Liquid Cooling Source is not available on site, use the combination of chillers and air/water heat exchangers to simplify the cooling of your processes, machines and controllers as part of a system based solution.

Via a closed pipeline system that uses a highly economical supply of cooled liquid (e.g. water, glycol or oil) as the cooling medium, temperature can be managed within your process and as the cooling medium for the air conditioning of control cabinets. When cooling cabinets with PWS Air/Water Heat Exchangers the thermal management is 100% independent from the ambient temperatures at the installation location.

A properly selected Thermal Management is key to guarantee the longevity of critical electronics. Pfannenberg place the klowledge and technical expertise of its engineers at your disposal for you to find the best solutions for your requirements.

Pfannenberg cooling units operate on the principle of the Carnot cycle. This means that the cooling units function as a heat pump that “pumps” the thermal energy transferred from the electronic cabinet (heat dissipated from the components) up to a higher level of temperature (the ambient temperature can reach levels as high as + 55 °C). The air inside the enclosure is cooled down by the evaporator and at the same time dehumidified.

How do I know if a cooling unit is the right product for my application?

If the ambient temperature is greater than the target internal temperature of the enclosure, active cooling is required.

> Many other companies use 50/50 °C, which provides a higher, non-usable value. Customers should use their own application temperatures to determine the proper cooling capacity of the system.

Important information when utilizing cooling units:

The refrigeration capacity should exceed the dissipation loss from the installed components by approximately 10%.

The enclosure should be sealed to prevent the inflow of ambient air.

Use the door contact switch to impede operation with open doors and consequent excessive accumulation of condensation.

Use cooling units with maximum clearance between air inflow and air outflow to prevent poor circulation.

Make sure that the air inflow and air outflow in the external circuit is not hindered, preventing proper heat exchanging at the condenser.

When using top-mounted cooling units, make sure that components with their own fans do not expel the air directly into the cooling units cool air outflow.

Make sure unit is level.

Setting the temperature to the lowest setting is not the optimal solution due to the condensation issues. The value we have preset on the cooling unit is a sound compromise between cooling the inside of the enclosure and the accumulation of condensation.

In harsh environments involving high temperatures, wash-down requirements, heavy particulate matter or the presence of chemicals capable of damaging components (NEMA 4 or 12 environments), ambient air must be kept out of the enclosure. Pfannenberg Cooling Units seals out the ambient air, cooling and re-circulating clean, cool air throughout the enclosure.

Closed Loop Cooling and particularly Air to air heat exchangers are used when the complete separation between the enclosure and the environment is required and the internal enclosure temperature to be cooled can be higher than the ambient. The air to air units have a rating showing how much heat can be removed based on the difference in the ambient and the internal temperatures. This is traditionally rated on W/°C which is the watts of heat that the unit can remove per temperature difference in °C.

How do I know if an air to air heat exchanger is the right product for my application?

If the ambient temperature is lower than the desired temperature inside the enclosure.

If a total separation between ambient air and enclosure air is required.

Properly sizing an air to air heat exchanger

To properly size an air to air heat exchanger you must know the required cooling capacity in Watts, target temperature rise over ambient and the dimensions of the heat exchanger and enclosure.

Closed Loop Cooling with air to air heat exchangers is the most efficient cooling solution as cooling with ambient air is the most economical type of cooling!

Pfannenberg εCOOL Air to air Heat Exchangers feature an energy efficient, minimal maintenance design. Installation and maintenance of these units requires much less time compared to other closed loop Thermal Management solutions.

Click here to read the 1st part of this “Technology of Cooling” serie: Cooling with Filterfans®Click here to read the 3rd part of this “Technology of Cooling” serie: Cooling with Closed Loop Cooling Units

We are excited to announce the release of our NEW NORTH AMERICAN CATALOG. In this catalog we take a Solutions First approach to helping you understand how to choose the best Thermal Management products for your applications.

> New sections for Engineered Solutions and Industry Group Specific Solutions.> Shared expertise to find the best solution for any type of application and environment.> Easily determine the correct thermal management products for your application and environment.> New high resolution detailed product pictures with cut-aways.

Pfannenberg, Inc. is a global manufacturer of thermal management, water cooling solutions and signaling technology. For more than 60 years, our enclosure cooling products have been helping some of the largest companies worldwide stay cool and safe, protecting and keeping electronic equipment running to avoid costly downtime.

If the installation is in a clean, non-hazardous environment with an acceptable ambient (outside the enclosure) temperature range, a simple forced-air cooling system utilizing outside air is usually adequate. Combined with an air filter, such devices generally meet the heat removal needs of typical electronic equipment and many electrical applications.

How do I know if a Filterfan® is the right product for my application?

If the temperature rise inside the enclosure can be higher than the ambient

If multiple configurations are needed. Filterfans® can be located in a number of locations within complex enclosure configurations.

Calculating the required airflow

To properly size a Filterfan® it’s important to understand how static pressure effects the performance of a fan.

Understanding CFM

CMF describes the volume flow rate of compressed air. We can define 3 different CFM:

CFM1: Fan Only (unfiltered)

CFM2: Filterfan® Assembly (uninstalled)

CFM3: Filterfan® Installed on an enclosure with one filtered exhaust assembly
(Note: Always calculate cooling capacity of Filterfans® with the CFM3 value)

Utilizing Filterfans® for Enclosure Cooling

Always use the Filterfans® to propel the cool ambient air into enclosure.

Slight positive pressure builds up inside the cabinet so that only air filtered by the Filterfans® flows into the enclosure.

The air propelled into the cabinet displaces the warm air which exits through the exhaust filter.

When installing a combination of Filterfans® and exhaust filters, fit the Filterfans® in the lower third of the cabinet and the exhaust filter(s) near the top of the cabinet.

Utilization examples

CFM : Filterfan® + Exhaust Filter

CFM : Filterfan® + 2 Exhaust Filters

CFM : Filterfan® + intake + Filterfan® Exhaust

Part 1 of our Thermal Management Solutions, Pfannenberg’s Filterfans® incorporate modern louvers which enable maximal airflow, hold back dust/flour and water particles, protect the filter medium from damage and can be integrated into the design of the application. Filterfans are an ideal cooling solution when the ambient air is always lower than the temperature required in the electrical enclosure. This assists the natural convection of the air and avoids hot spots withing the enclosure.

Pfannenberg is the inventor of the Filterfan®, with 50 years of experience and continuous development. Trust in the Original